Preventing Running Injuries:

I've worked with more than a few runners who have had some overuse injuries. In some cases, these people were fine while running shorter distances such as 10K's, but saw some problems while training for a longer event such as a marathon.

It's interesting to watch some of the various running styles of those who compete in recreational events, as well as those just jogging for increased fitness. In many cases, I think that I could make some improvements that might help them be more efficient.

Most runners would definitely benefit from more cross-training, where they spend slightly less time pounding the pavement, and a little more time on a bike. Or spend time doing some strength training. I think that this would improve their overall efficiency.

In any case, most people should spend some time doing lateral movements and rotational work. Why you might ask? Even though you are running straight ahead, your body needs to be stable in these other movement planes to help prevent injury.

Secondly, when you train your muscles to move in one direction - front to back, as opposed to the other two directions your muscles can move, you can create muscle imbalances over time. Imbalances which could lead to an injury.

Another thing that might help is doing some core training and upper body work to help with running efficiency. By doing some upper body work - pushing and pulling against a resistance band while in a standing position, you can get these benefits with a minimal amount of time.

If you haven't already, you might want to check out my article on" real world core training" at my website. You can also read an article I posted last week on preventing running injuries.